Production of signs, decorations, and the like



Aprxl 25, 1933. H. B. LIND 1,905,565

PRODUCTION OF SIGNS, DECORATIONS, AND THE LIKE v Filed 001'.. 22, 1929 I@ T m umm L F1 g-H #aware/. Lind INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Apr. 25, 1933- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOWARD s. LIND, or TOLEDO, OHIO, A'ssIGNOn To THE TOLEDO roncELAIN ENAMEL rnODucTs COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, 0310.5. CORPORATION OF OHIO- PBODUCTION 0F SIGNS, DECORATIONS, AND THE, LIKE Application filed October 22, 1929. Serial No. 401,615.

This invention relates to the production of signs, decorations or other decorative articles by stenciling, the chief object being to enable vitreous i. e. so called porcelain enamel metal signs and the like to be manufactured commercially in large numbers in a rapid, inexpensive and simple manner.

Hitherto the commercial production of vitreous enamel metalY signs, particularly signs with complicated or multi-colored designs or lettering thereon, has` been limited owing to the many operations and great labor and expense involved in the method of production hitherto employed. The drawback and limitations to printing methods with the aid of a litho-stone or zinc plate, the aerographing method, and the brushing out method are well known in the trade.

According to the present invention vitreous enamel metal signs or other decorative articles are produced by preparing an enameling composition or paint of suitable consistency and drying characteristics, applying the composition to a vitreous surface to be decorated by means of a screen or stencil of silk or other meshed material having permeable and impermeable portions, and finally heating the article so treated to a temperature sufficient to cause fusion of the vitreous surface. In the preparation of the palnt orcomposition a finely ground mineralcolor is used as the body or base which is mixed with oil and worked up to a suit- A able consistency to pass through the meshes of the stencil employed.

The neness of the powdered materials should be as great as is necessary to enable the composition to pass through the meshes of the stencil and the materials should therefore be capable in their dry unmixed state of passing through a screen of slightly finer mesh.

In working up the powdered color mixture into a suitable pasty mass a liquid must be used that will not permit of too rapid drying and yet can eventually be dried completelyV without causing the surface to be `spoiled by bubbles or otherwise when the article is subjected to the enamel fusing temperature. I have found that liquid of an oily character should be used. The pasty composition is `effectively and simply applied by pressing it through the meshes of the stencil by'means of a squeegee. When articles are enameled by the so-called wet process the frit is mixed with water, sprayed upon the articles and the water evaporated off,

before applying the decorative materiaLm After stenciling the porcelain enamel on the metal sheets as above described I may first heat them sufiiciently to dry out the oily medium and then heat them in a. muilie furnace or otherwise to a temperature sufficiently high to cause fusion of the vitreous enamel background with the colored composition applied through the stencil, for example from say about 600 to 1000 C. depending upon the nature of the composition. I thereby obtain real vitreous enamel sheet metal advertising signs or the like.

The usual method of placing the lettering or other designs on porcelain enamel signs isto first apply a coat of dark enamel to the metal, fuse it, then appl a coat of light lcolored enamel and, be ore fusing, wlpe away the lettering or design by means of stencils. When the light colored enamel is fused, the dark lettering or design appears as sunken or depressed. My process obtains a similar result. For some reason unknown to me but which I suppose results from a lowering of the surface tension of the fused enamel where the oily mixture has been applied, the enamel appears to partially wit .draw when it is fused, so that the letter or 'enameled metal plate 1 with the letter N 2 produced thereon by the process of my invention, the color of the enameled field 3 being white and the .color of the letter N being red; and

Figure II is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line II-II of Fig-y ure I, the depth of the porcelain enamel and the depth of the red color and the depression in which the color lies being lexaggerated.

I am aware of the process described in Reissuev Patent No. 16,048, but the. process developed by me differs from that described in the said reissue patent in that AI avoid the use of frit in the coloring composition and also in that I obtain a diiferent and superior result, one substantially the` same as that produced by the very much more expensive process of wiping away the upper coat of enamel before `fusing..

The embodiment of my invention herein described is to be regarded as illustrative only, -and it is to be understood that the invention is susceptible to variation, modification and change within the spirit and scope of the subjoined claims.

Having described my invention, I claim: 1. The method of producing designs upon porcelain enamel which consists in taking v a pasty composition of mineral coloring matter and an oily carrier'containing no frit capable of causing a change in the depth of porcelain enamel to which itis applied, applying the said composition to a layer of porcelain enamel material upon a metallic object, and subjecting the enamel so treated to fusing.

2. The method of'producing designs upon porcelain enamel which consists in taking a pasty composition of mineral coloring matter and an oily carrier containin no frit capable of causing a change in t e depth of porcelain enamel to which it is applied, applying the said composition to a layer of porcelainvenamel material upon a metallic object bypressing the composition of coloring matte'through a fine mesh stencil, and subjecting-the enamel so treated to fusing.

HOWARD B. LIND. 

